▷Safety belts are damaged, soiled or
changed in any other way.▷Safety belt buckle is damaged or heavily
soiled.▷Belt tensioners or belt retractors were
modified.
Safety belts can be imperceptibly damaged in
the event of an accident. There is risk of inju‐
ries or danger to life. Do not modify safety
belts, safety belt buckles, belt tensioners, belt
retractors or belt anchors and keep them
clean. Have the safety belts checked after an
accident at the dealer’s service center or an‐
other qualified service center or repair shop.◀
Wear and tear after accidents or when dam‐
aged otherwise:
Have the safety belts, including the safety belt
tensioners, replaced and have the belt anchors
checked.
Head restraints Information WARNING
A missing protective effect due to re‐
moved or not correctly adjusted head re‐
straints can cause injuries in the head and
neck area. There is risk of injuries. Install head
restraints on occupied seats prior to driving
and make sure that the center of the head re‐
straint supports the back of the head at eye
level.◀
WARNING
Objects on the head restraint reduce the
protective effect in the head and neck area.
There is risk of injuries.
▷Do not use seat or head restraint covers.▷Do not hang objects, e.g., clothes hangers,
directly on the head restraint.▷Only use accessories that have been de‐
termined to be safe for attachment to a
head restraint.▷Do not use any accessories, e.g. pillows,
while driving.◀
Correctly adjusted head restraint
General information
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of injury to cervical vertebrae in the event
of an accident.
Height Adjust the head restraint so that its center is
approximately at ear level.
Distance
Adjust the distance so that the head restraint
is as close as possible to the back of the head.
Active head restraint In the event of a rear-end collision with a cer‐
tain severity, the active head restraint automat‐
ically reduces the distance from the head.
Wear and tear after accidents or when dam‐
aged otherwise:
Have the active headrest checked and if
needed replaced.
Adjusting the height: electrical head
restraints
Adjusting electrically.
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securely against the backrest. If possible, ad‐
just the backrest tilt for all affected backrests
and correctly adjust the seats. Make sure that
seats and backrests are securely engaged. If
possible, adjust the height of the head re‐
straints or remove them.◀
Installing child restraint
systems
Information Pay attention to the specifications of the child
restraint system manufacturer when selecting,
installing, and using child restraint systems.
WARNING
The stability of the child restraint system
is limited or compromised with incorrect seat
adjustment or improper installation of the child
seat. There is risk of injuries or danger to life.
Make sure that the child restraint system fits
securely against the backrest. If possible, ad‐
just the backrest tilt for all affected backrests
and correctly adjust the seats. Make sure that
seats and backrests are securely engaged. If
possible, adjust the height of the head re‐
straints or remove them.◀
On the front passenger seat
Deactivating airbags WARNING
Active front-seat passenger airbags can
injure a child in a child restraint system when
the airbags are activated. There is risk of inju‐
ries. Make sure that the front-seat passenger
airbags are deactivated and that the PASSEN‐
GER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp lights up.◀
After installing a child restraint system in the
front passenger seat, make sure that the front,
knee and side airbags on the front passenger
side are deactivated.Deactivate the front-seat passenger airbags
automatically, refer to page 108.
Seat position and height
Before installing a child restraint system, move
the front passenger seat as far back as possi‐
ble and adjust its height to the highest and
thus best possible position for the belt and to
offer optimal protection in the event of an acci‐
dent.
If the upper anchorage of the safety belt is lo‐
cated in front of the belt guide of the child seat,
move the passenger seat carefully forward un‐
til the best possible belt guide position is
reached.
Backrest width Adjustable backrest width: before installing a
child restraint system in the front passenger
seat, open the backrest width completely. Do
not change the backrest width again and do
not call up a memory position.
Child seat security
The rear safety belts and the front passenger
safety belt can be permanently locked to fas‐
ten child restraint systems.
The front passenger safety belt can be perma‐
nently locked to fasten child restraint systems.
Locking the safety belt
1.Pull out the strap completely.2.Secure the child restraint system with the
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▷HDC Hill Descent Control is activated.▷The parking assistant is activated.▷Stop-and-go traffic.▷Selector lever in selector lever position N,
M/S or R.▷Use of fuel with high ethanol content.
Starting the engine
The engine starts automatically under the fol‐
lowing conditions:
▷Steptronic transmission:
By releasing the brake pedal.
When Automatic Hold is activated: press
the accelerator pedal.
After the engine starts, accelerate as usual.
Safety mode
After the engine switches off automatically, it
will not start again automatically if any one of
the following conditions are met:
▷The driver's safety belt is unbuckled and
the driver's door is open.▷The hood was unlocked.
Some indicator lights light up for a varied
length of time.
The engine can only be started via the Start/
Stop button.
Functional limitations
Even if driving off was not intended, the deacti‐
vated engine starts up automatically in the fol‐
lowing situations:
▷Excessive warming of the car's interior
when the cooling function is switched on.▷The steering wheel is turned.▷Steptronic transmission: change from se‐
lector lever position D to R, N or M/S.▷Steptronic transmission: change from se‐
lector lever position P to N, D, R or M/S.▷Fogging of the windows when the auto‐
matic climate control is switched on.▷Vehicle battery is heavily discharged.▷Excessive cooling of the car's interior when
the heating is switched on.
Activating/deactivating the system
manually
Using the button
Press button.
▷LED comes on: Auto Start/Stop function is
deactivated.
The engine is started during an automatic
engine stop.
The engine can only be stopped or started
via the Start/Stop button.▷LED goes out: Auto Start/Stop function is
activated.
Switching off the vehicle during an
automatic engine stop
During an automatic engine stop, the vehicle
can be switched off permanently, e. g., when
leaving it.
1.Press the Start/Stop button. The ignition is
switched off. The Auto Start/Stop function
is deactivated.
Selector lever position P is engaged auto‐
matically.2.Set the parking brake.
Engine start as usual via Start/Stop button.
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Mix the washer fluid before adding to find the
right mixture.
Do not add windshield washer concentrate and
antifreeze undiluted and do not fill with pure
water; this could damage the wiper system.
Do not mix window washer concentrates of dif‐
ferent manufacturers because they can clog
the windshield washer nozzles.
Recommended minimum fill quantity:
0.2 US gal/1 liter.
Steptronic transmission
Selector lever positions
D Drive
Selector lever position for normal vehicle oper‐
ation. All gears for forward travel are activated
automatically.
R is Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral: The vehicle may roll. Use in automatic car
washes, e.g.
When the ignition is switched off, refer to
page 67, selector lever position P is engaged
automatically.
P Park Select only when the vehicle is stationary. The
drive wheels are blocked.
P is engaged automatically:▷After the engine is switched off when the
vehicle is in radio-ready state, refer to
page 67, or when the ignition is switched
off, refer to page 67, and when selector
lever position R or D is set.▷With the ignition off, if selector lever posi‐
tion N is set.▷If the driver's safety belt is released, the
driver's door is opened, and the brake
pedal is not pressed while the vehicle is
stationary and selector lever position D or
R is set.
Before exiting the vehicle, make sure that se‐
lector lever position P is set. Otherwise, the ve‐
hicle may begin to move.
Kickdown Kickdown is used to achieve maximum driving
performance. Step on the accelerator pedal
beyond the resistance point at the full throttle
position.
Engaging selector lever positions
General information To prevent the vehicle from creeping after you
select a gear, maintain pressure on the brake
pedal until you are ready to start.
▷It is not possible to shift out of selector
lever position P until the engine is running
and the brake is applied.▷With the vehicle is stationary, press on the
brake pedal before shifting out of selector
lever position P or N; otherwise, the shift
command will not be executed: shift lock.
A block prevents the inadvertent switching to
selector lever position P or R or the inadvertent
change from selector lever position P.
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injuries or danger to life. Have the airbag sys‐
tem checked, repaired, dismantled and scrap‐
ped by a dealer’s service center or another
qualified service center or repair shop.◀
Correct function When the ignition is switched on, the
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up briefly and thereby indicates
the operational readiness of the entire airbag
system and the belt tensioner.
Airbag system malfunctioning▷Warning lamp does not come on when the
ignition is turned on.▷The warning lamp lights up continuously.
Automatic deactivation of the front-
seat passenger airbags
The concept The system reads if the front passenger seat is
occupied by measuring the human body's re‐
sistance.
Front, knee and side airbag on the front pas‐
senger's side are either activated or deacti‐
vated.
Information Before transporting a child on the front pas‐
senger seat, refer to the safety notes and in‐
structions for children on the front passenger
seat, see Children.
WARNING
The ensure the front-seat passenger air‐
bag function, it must be detected, whether a
person occupies the front passenger seat. The
entire seat cushion area must be used for this
purpose. There is risk of injuries or danger to
life. Make sure that the front passenger keeps
his or her feet in the floor area.◀
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
When transporting older children and adults,
the front-seat passenger airbags may be deac‐
tivated in certain sitting positions. In this case,
the indicator lamp for the front-seat passenger
airbags lights up.
In this case, change the sitting position so that
the front-seat passenger airbags are activated
and the indicator lamp goes out.
If it is not possible to activate the airbags, have
the person sit in the rear.
To enable correct recognition of the occupied
seat cushion▷Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats
or other items to the front passenger seat
unless they are specifically determined to
be safe for use on the front passenger
seat.▷Do not place any electronic devices on the
passenger seat if a child restraint system is
to be installed on it.▷Do not place objects under the seat that
could press against the seat from below.▷No moisture in or on the seat.
Indicator lamp for the front-seat
passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the front-seat passen‐
ger airbags indicates the operating state of the
front-seat passenger airbags.
The lamp indicates whether the airbags are ei‐
ther activated or deactivated.
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